UFC 145 Results: 5 Fights to Get Miguel Torres Back on Track

UFC 145 Results: 5 Fights to Get Miguel Torres Back on Track

Projected to be one of the most hotly contested fights of the night, the matchup between Miguel Torres and Michael McDonald was anything but.

McDonald's speed and punching accuracy proved to be too much for what appeared to be a Torres in decline, and ended the fight in 3:18.

With the win, McDonald positions himself ever closer to the 135-pound title while Torres finds himself at a crossroads.

With a 2-2 record in the UFC, Torres, formerly considered a pound-for-pound contender, is in danger of relegation to gatekeeper status.

If he hopes to get back to the level he was at as a WEC champion, he'll have to piece together some good wins.

The following are five fights that he could start out with.

Walel Watson

1 of 5

Since an impressive debut win over Joseph Sandoval, Watson has dropped two straight to Yves Jabouin and T.J. Dillashaw.

A fight between him and Torres could propel one man to a higher rung of the bantamweight the ladder, with the other potentially falling off the map.

Watson has struggled to suppress the takedown attempts of his opponents, which is largely responsible for his back-to-back losses. Torres would likely spend some time exchanging with him, though he'd almost certainly try to put "The Gazelle" on his back.

The bout would be an interesting one, but if the UFC wants to salvage both of these quality 135ers, pitting them against one another would be better served at a later date.

T.J. Dillashaw

2 of 5

Dillashaw looked great in his win over Watson and would pose an intriguing opponent for Torres.

While McDonald knocked Torres silly, Dillashaw relies heavily on his wrestling to get in the win column. Stylistically, this fight would either force Dillashaw to exchange on the feet, or allow Torres to play submission artist on the mat.

The bout could function as Dillashaw's coming-out party, or Torres' return to legitimacy, depending on which way the winds blow.

Nick Denis

3 of 5

Want to find out if "The Ninja of Love" is for real?

Simple. Put him against Torres and see what happens.

Denis has an 11-2 record, owning 10 knockouts. He faces Roland Delorme this May, but another impressive victory may not fully satisfy his critics who already have the "Roland who?" defense cocked and loaded.

A fight between Denis and Torres would be a potential coming-out party for one man, and a potential return for the other.

Scott Jorgensen

4 of 5

Jorgensen has succeeded against everyone he has faced that is not part of the bantamweight division's elite.

He is scheduled for a June showdown with Eddie Wineland, but win, lose or draw, he would be in a position to battle Torres.

Jorgensen is a terrific benchmark fight for any bantamweight, and a challenge from Torres would be a good method of indicating where the former WEC champion stands after his loss to Michael McDonald.

For Torres, it would mean that he is still capable of at least threatening to make a title run.

Takeya Mizugaki

5 of 5

Mizugaki and Torres previously faced off for the WEC bantamweight title back in 2009. The fight was an instant classic, and I doubt too many people would be upset with a 2012 rematch.

The timing is right, as both guys are coming off losses and are 2-2 since joining the UFC. Both guys have recognizable names that are not out of place on the main card of pay-per-view events, and both guys like to put on a show.

It's a fight most would expect Torres to win, but at the same time, a win would not be dismissed as a freebie.

This fight would have all the elements—it would be meaningful for Torres, it would be exciting, the two have a history together, both guys are at similar junctures in their career and both guys should be ready for a fight in early summer.